This year, more than ever, most of us are looking forward to a new fresh start in the new year. I’m excited that 2021 sees me joining 24i as Sales Director Operator Solutions, responsible for driving the growth and momentum of a company I’ve been part of in the past!

Although I joined 24i just a few days ago at the start of January, I’m not new to the Amino Group. I was part of Amino’s sales team from 2006 to 2014. and was fortunate to have worked at Amino when it pioneered IPTV Set-top Boxes (STBs). Amino has been shaping the Pay-TV industry for decades, and helping leading brands expand their streaming businesses is a natural progression in my career journey.

I’ve been in the TV and video technology industry for over 20 years, holding senior sales roles for several key industry players. During my career, I have witnessed the transition from hardware to software and, more importantly, from on-premise to software-as-a-service (SaaS) infrastructure. I saw first-hand how the enthusiasm over the unlimited potential opened up by these ground-breaking developments was coupled with challenges for media organizations and SaaS vendors alike. There is a clear need for managed services to maximize reliability and efficiency during this transition, especially as many operators run complex hybrid architectures that leverage existing on-premise and newer cloud infrastructures.

I’ve been impressed how 24i’s industry-leading end-to-end solution delivers a turnkey multi-screen solution for Pay-TV operators and content providers. Our solution portfolio enables customers to benefit from managed services. Media companies can scale up as they grow their business by offering excellent OTT video user experiences across all devices. I have watched several industry players struggle to manage and monetize their content, and I appreciate the value that 24i’s ready-to-deploy software solutions adds. Operators and content providers can control their content management and unify the user experience with best-of-breed no-coding management tools, leading to unrivaled gains in time-to-market.

It is powerful to see Youfone, a joint Amino and 24i customer, deploying our end-to-end architecture platform, including Smart Apps and Smart Video, to launch the Netherlands’ first Android TV service. This deployment covered everything from content ingestion and encoding to customer care and content distribution. The project was ready to be launched in just five months, instead of the typical 12 to 18-month timeframe for a project of this complexity. This time-to-market cycle is phenomenal and shows the breadth and flexibility of the Amino and 24i solutions portfolio.

I’m also excited by 24i’s product innovation roadmap that demonstrates that the company will continue to invest in best-of-breed solutions for its customers. This thirst for continued innovation is complemented by a consistent execution strategy that delivers on the 24i vision. 24i knows very well that media organizations need scalable and agile solutions, and I’m looking forward to offering precisely that to operators and content providers.

As we all know, the world became a different place in 2020. I believe in the power of human connection, but while I cannot meet customers face-to-face right now, I’m looking forward to virtually meeting existing and future 24i customers.

This will be a fascinating year for the industry. I am looking forward to helping 24i build strong relationships and become a strategic partner that enables leading content companies to grow and enhance their streaming businesses.